A mapping application or a geographic information system can receive a search query from a user and, in response, provide the user with a map of the results. As an example, the user can search for a particular point of interest or category of point of interest (e.g. “Italian restaurant”). In response, the mapping application can identify Italian restaurants located near to a location associated with the user, such as, for example, the location of the computing device employed by the user, a location included in the search string, or a location currently shown to the user within the mapping application user interface.
Once the search results have been identified, the mapping application can then provide the user with a map indicating the location of each of the identified search results. In particular, in certain mapping applications, the viewport elevation or zoom level of the provided map can be chosen as the minimum elevation or maximum zoom that still encloses or displays all of the identified search results.
However, if the majority of the points of interest identified in response to the search are located closely together except that one or more of the identified points of interest are located a significant distance from the other identified points of interest (e.g. one or more outlying search results), then the provided map can be difficult to read or can be generally less useful. In particular, the map will be undesirably “zoomed-out” such that the points of interest that are located closely together will be bunched together, resulting in overlapping indicators. Due to such overlapping indicators, the user may be unable to resolve the identity or location of the individual points of interest that are located in relatively close proximity.
Outlying point of interest search results can be caused by a number of different situations. As an example, the location data associated with one or more of the points of interest can be incorrect, such that a point of interest that would be a desirable search result if correctly located is improperly attributed to a distant location. As another example, the outlying point of interest may be an excellent result to the corresponding search query, such that it is selected instead of more closely located points of interest. However, at a certain distance, the outlying search result causes such degradation to map quality that its detriments outweigh the benefit of providing it as a search result in response to the search query.
As yet another example, certain mapping applications or geographic information systems can designate a business (or allow a business to designate itself) as a “service-area” business. As an example, a plumber may have a physical office at a particular location, but prefer to designate his location as a service area which covers several regions (e.g. zip codes). When the mapping application provides the service-area business as a search result, it can indicate the business's location as the average of its corresponding service area.
However, for a service-area business that provides service to a significantly large area, the average of such service area can result in an outlying point of interest search result. As an example, a business that specializes in custom leather outerwear may service the entire United States via mail order. Therefore, the average of its service area is generally in the center of the country (e.g. Kansas).
Thus, for a user who searches for “leather outerwear” in Santa Monica, Calif., such business may be a relevant search result, as it closely matches the search string and services California via mail order. In fact, the business may even be located in Santa Monica.
However, presenting the mail order business's average service area location, Kansas, on a map with other search results located in Santa Monica can result in the map being so zoomed-out that the results included in Santa Monica become indistinguishable from one another, thereby limiting the map's utility.